Fern Britton and her ex-husband Phil Vickery split in 2020 after two decades of marriage, and the former This Morning host is thriving.
Fern, whose oldest daughter Winnie, 21, moved out this year, is embracing life in her sixties, having completely overhauled her life. "I didn't expect to be 65 and single and really relaxed," Fern told Good Houskeeping, before explaining why she's in such a good place now, sharing she took a long time to process the past.
"It's like recovering from a shock and it's taken me a while to do that," she candidly explained, revealing that she realised she needed to look after herself better.
© Good Housekeeping / David Venni"I wasn't doing exercise, I was eating too much and suddenly, it was like I flipped a switch," she continued, going on to share that she now does yoga and runs too. "I'm very slow – I have arthritis is one of my knees and I'm about to have a shoulder replacement – but I just thought 'It's only three miles, come on!'"
The about-turn in her mood comes after a dip in confidence. "When I wasn't looking after myself, I lost myself and I thought, 'I'll never be able to do that again.' It's very easy to get defeatist; you lose confidence in your body.
READ: Fern Britton shares she's awaiting major surgery – details
"But now I find myself putting on my running shoes and saying, 'I'll only be gone 30 minutes.' And I come home thinking, 'This is alright, I'm not too sweaty, not too panty.' It's given me faith in myself again!"
Fern is certainly doing well to be running when she's awaiting major surgery. Last year, Fern explained: "I've got arthritis settling in everywhere. My knee is really bad and so is my shoulder. I'm waiting on a list for a surgeon to sort it out. It's very boring when your body starts to be in pain all the time."
© Good Housekeeping / David VenniDespite her new lease for life, Fern isn't considering returning to This Morning. "I don't think I’d be able to turn the clock back; it wouldn't work that way. My time at This Morning was marvellous and I adored the 10 years I was there, but I feel you should never look back."
The presenter-turned-author co-hosted the ITV daytime show with Phillip and eventually handed in her notice in 2009 after seven years on the show.
Read the full interview with Fern Britton in the August 2023 issue of Good Housekeeping, on sale 6th July 2023. It is available in all supermarkets and online at MagsDirect.
